The Perfect Creation
by ManiacMitani
Summary: Inside the non-existent Crystal kingdom lies a mirror; untouched by the War and nature itself. Beyond that mirror lies another world that was left behind by many. -Branch-off story to Alice in Dream(?)Land-
1. Chapter 1

Hello again! This is just a second story I'm working on to fill the time that I don't use (Procrastination is unavoidable for me sometimes, I guess...) But none the less, I hope you like this branch-off series as much as I enjoyed making it!

Chapter 1: The Arrival (Liola's POV)

It wasn't unusual for partners to cheat on one another in this little nation of ours.

Things like that happened almost every day.

But there was something oddly particular and interesting with the one that occurred one warm summer day.

Everyone; or, at least it seemed to be everyone in the nation, was thinking about their next mistake.

Men in full suit and tie hung around the beer halls and the taverns, while women in the frilliest dresses money could buy walked up and down each street and hoped a man would take them home.

I, being the young girl wearing the most expensive gown in our nation because my father bought it for me before he passed, was not interested in the affairs of others, nor did I plan on becoming like everyone else.

Local jewelry store owners called me a gem, farmers called me a choice prize, and even the dukes in our nation took notice of me.

Of course, I really didn't care what any of them said. Nothing they said caught my full attention, honestly; all of them were the same, anyway.

Despite ignoring the many compliments many people gave me, I would always have that empty feeling in my stomach- I never knew why, either.

But on that warm summer day, not many people were out and about and looking for a one-night-stand in broad daylight.

No. In fact, many were indoors. Those that were outside; however, were all standing in order from oldest in the back, to youngest in the front along the entrance street.

"What is this?" I asked one of the old men standing parallel to his family home. Hearing my familiar voice; I was inquired to give public speeches in place of my father, the man almost instantly turns to me with a broad smile on his face.

"Ah, if it ain't the lovely 'lil princess! How 'r things in that big 'ol castle there?" He continued on with such idle talk that I almost lost my posture as a noble and fell asleep on the ground. That was, until he mentioned something that I was dying to hear for so long.

"I heard that someun' new was comin' to this 'ol capital 'n ano'r nation down yonder." He pointed to a warn map that he had taken out of his worn pants pocket and unfolded as he spoke.

"He's a real hit with the lassies, I hear. Real womanizer; that young a boy, a womanizer! Who woulda thought, huh!?" I took a deep breath and exhaled with the same amount of force behind it. "I am not interested in such things. And I was informed that there was to be another coming here with him. Is that correct?"

Without actually answering me, the old man puffed out his chest and bellowed loudly. "Why, 'lil princess, that's correct! You got quite the memory there, if I do say so myself!" He proceeds to puff out his chest even more. "And I do say so, so it must be right, am I right, 'lil princess!?"

By this point in time, I was more concerned as to whether the man would break his back than the carriage housing the two newcomers skidding to a gentle yet audible stop.

Hearing the old man's behavior change almost instantly signaled me to turn in the direction he was facing. Upon doing so, however, I was greeted with a rather handsome man smiling down at me. Taking my hand, the man's smile grew even wider than it was.

"Why, you must be the princess of this beautiful place. Only fitting for a beauty such as yourself. I am the Duke of Varcelles, a pleasure to finally meet you."

Of all the people in the world, I never would have thought that it would be Duke Louis of Vercelles coming to my hometown. I gave a slight bow; It was customary here to do so, and told him that the pleasure was mine.

Alas, there was that empty feeling again. That was, until Louis's younger brother stepped out of the carriage. He looked at me; almost as if in a shy awe, then quickly turned away. His demeanor was so refreshing to me that I couldn't seem to control my own feet.

Shortly after my unconscious actions subsided, I looked up to only have his amethyst eyes meet my own cyan ones. His hair was a beautiful shade of red; almost as though he would be able to blend into my lost mother's rose garden without the slightest chance of being detected. His shoulders were just perfect; not too broad, and not too feminine to be confused as such. Compared to Louis, this young man had a much softer appearance; apart from his brother, whom uses his broad shoulders and attractive face just to woo the women.

"O-oh-" Being this close to him, I couldn't muster up the courage to properly introduce myself to him; not that it would have made any difference, since he seemed too emotionally distant to communicate with. Seeing my small hint of disappointment, Louis smiled and briskly walked over to the young man; placing his arm around the other's shoulders and effectively giving him a slight hug. "Ah, I see you've met my little brother Luke. Luke-" he slightly turned the smaller figure in his direction and continued. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the lovely young princess? She is to choose a man to marry and to aid her in her nation, after all." The young man, now introduced as Luke, held out a hand that I oddly yet gladly took up in my own. "I am Lukas, the duke of Okasa. It is nice to meet you, princess of Neronia." I started to say that it was my pleasure, but I couldn't muster a single word. All I could do was bow and look back into his beautiful eyes. Even though he seemed so different from his brother, I could still tell that they are related by blood. "Now, I do say!" Started up the old man once more, as he slowly yet roughly patted me on the back. "I've never seen this before!" In a flash of confusion, I looked over at the man. By this time, I also looked at the two dukes standing in front of me. "What is it?" I asked, still startled by the sudden shout. I take a look at Lukas, and I immediately noticed that a shade of red had washed over his face. Louis looked at him, then at me, then back at him once more before he let out a hearty laugh. "My, I've never seen my brother look at a girl that way before! Have you, Sir Nicholas?" He gestures towards the old man and I froze. Of all the people that could have been my partial caretaker since I was only a child, I never thought I would be in the hands of Sir Nicholas himself. After a small amount of silence, Nicholas started up alongside Louis. "Indeed, Louis! A sweet and warm look given to a princess of this nation when it was not given to any other!" Patting Lukas's back and smiling broadly, he continued. "I do say, you two would seem to get along well! How about we leave you two be so you can get to know one another?" By this time, Lukas had that look of slight panic before he could speak. "Sir Nicholas, what are you talking about…? I cannot get along with-" "Now now, Lukas. Treat the lady nicely while Nicholas and I catch up." Louis loaded the Sir into the carriage and looked out at us after he closed the door. "See you two later! Have fun!" Before either of us could object, they were already off. I suppose Lukas heard a small whimper, for he turned towards me with a clear look of concern. "Princess, are you-" "I do not know you well enough, do I?" I take a small breathe and look up at him. "Then why don't we get to know each other? At least then we can be on equal terms with one another." I hastily walk over to a small pond slightly westward from where we stood and looked at him. "Why-" "They said we should get to know each other, right? Also-" I turned to Lukas with a faint smile on my face. "My name is Liola. Please do not be afraid to call me by it." As if he were in some kind of trance, Lukas repeated in a quiet voice. "Liola… I- no, never mind. It was quite the odd thing to think…" Thinking back on it now, I realized that his face was a light shade of pink. Then; as if I caught a glimpse by chance, it turned a shade of scarlet before he placed a hand over his mouth and turned away. I had no clue what to think about it, so I just continued to look at him until I hear a faint call from one of my two bodyguards near the castle gates. "Princess, your assistance is needed at this moment! Please, come over here!" "I will be there in just a mo-" Before I could get my last word out, my second bodyguard planted himself in front of me merely seconds after he jumped over the enormous building to Lukas's right. "Milady, I am afraid we do not have much time to speak about the matter and stand around for a moment longer. Please do forgive my rudeness, but this is absolutely no time to be chatting out in the open." He glanced over at the now alerted Lukas as he continued to speak. "It is a matter of safety. If this gentleman wishes to speak with you longer, then please; by all means, invite him inside and stay inside until we receive word otherwise." A small sense of dread washed over us in that moment. Everything fell silent; as if the very fabrics of sound were cut to inaudible pieces by the scissors of the current events of the day. I stared at the ground and tried to think of what to announce to the kingdom, when Lukas's piercing, alarming, yet subtle and soothing voice rung out to everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen, and children alike! Please proceed into your homes until you are announced to do otherwise!" Saying this, Lukas glanced back at me; only for a moment, then turned back and continued on. "This is for the safety of everyone here, so please take these words seriously! Any person seen left outside will be escorted safely back to their homes and out of harm's way!" Not one person was standing idle that day. After hearing those words, everyone did as they were told to do and went into their homes. To assure their safety, some families even barricaded the doors and windows with the heaviest objects in their homes. I stood in awe, admiring every aspect of what was presented by the man I knew little about, and beaming with little to no shame at all. Seeing this when he turned my way, Lukas began to blush again. "Prin- uh, Liola…" Upon hearing my name, I snapped back to reality; but only to see Lukas's frame only inches away from mine. Before I could back away, he gently placed a hand on my head and gave me the warmest smile I had seen in years. Seeing my cheeks flush into a pale pink, he continued speaking in his soothing voice. "You should be more careful and learn to take the advice of those protecting you. They really care about you…" He moved the hand on my head down to my flushed cheek and inched slightly closer, gently caressing it as he spoke. "But they're not the only ones that do. I-" "Duke Lukas, I am afraid I have some bad news. The carriage that Sir Nicholas and Duke Louis left in was spotted in the far side of the path." For the first time since I met him, I saw a different emotion than what he showed before: Pure horror. Quickly removing his hand from my cheek, he grabbed the guard by his shoulders and looked at him with that same expression. "What is your name…?" "Akuma, sir." "Akuma...please… PLEASE tell me you saw my brother near it." Not getting anything from Akuma besides his averting eyes, Lukas slumps his arms to his sides and falls to his knees. "You… you're kidding… r-right…?" "I am not, I am afraid. No one was spotted near or in the carriage; neither your brother nor Sir Nicholas. Do you wish for a search team?" "No…" Raising his hands to his face, Lukas silently urges Akuma to take me into the castle to make sure I was safe. After Akuma obeyed the order and brought me to my room, Lukas stood up; wiping his eyes and grabbing his sword, he walks off in the direction that they rode off in.

Chapter 1 -END-

I regret absolutely nothing :3 I figured I'd make a weird twist in the second chapter, so stay tuned for the update!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, looks like I uploaded quicker than I thought I would :3 Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Chapter 2: The Travel (Lukas's POV)

It wasn't long after my brother and Sir Nicholas went missing, but I had to see if they were truly gone for myself. Liola's guards clearly do not trust me; being that I'm from a nation they are not aware of. I continued to walk down the road until I saw the exact carriage I arrived in with Louis just this morning; but now it was broken and soulless with pieces thrown about here and there. "What is this…?" As I asked this to myself, my eyes were drawn to a single necklace with a red rose on the gem. I slowly knelt down and picked it up with my visibly trembling hands. I was clear to me that someone- or moreover, something aimed directly for his chest: there was a broken portion of it where a heart would normally be. "H-haha…" Tightly gripping the broken object to my chest, I start to laugh uncontrollably; almost as if I were a madman set loose by some gleeful aspect in his life. I continued to laugh as hours passed; day turned to night and the moon had shown it's silky white beams of light in the darkness of the road. The moon was the only light there for miles, and yet I laughed on and on. 10 turned into 11, and 11 into 12, until finally; at the very moment of 4, I stopped and stared blankly at the sky. "He's still alive… He has to be…" Saying this over and over, I began to walk back to Liola's kingdom walls. several of the townspeople thanked me for the warning the previous day, and asked if I was alright; by this time, I had lost nearly all of the luster that my eyes, by what Louis told me, had held all those years before. I assured them that I was alright, then headed into the castle to meet with Akuma; the top guard of Neronia and the second knight in the allied army. As I walked in, he seemed to be expecting my arrival as he nodded towards me. "I see you've made it back safely, Duke-" "Just call me Lukas. I do not like formality towards me at all." "Right-" He quickly corrected himself and spoke again. "Lukas, it is a good thing you made it back safely. Do you want something to eat? Drink, perhaps?" I began to shake my head feverishly as I felt my face grow hot from embarrassment. "I'm fine. Thank you though…" A small yet audible sigh escapes my throat as I looked down at the necklace I held onto. There was nothing- if anything had been left, it would have been taken by the woodsmen and children that are seen regularly wandering about during the night. Looking back on the previous hours, I was surprised that I never ran into one of them; none the less saw one in the distance. While sorting through my thoughts, I felt a gentle hand lightly press on the center of my back. I spun around to look at who did so; and, to my surprise, Liola looked at me with a look of concern. "Lukas, are you okay? You seem rather pale." Only listening to her, I look into her beautiful cyan eyes; standing completely motionless as she raised her hand and gently stroked my cheek. " You know that I am willing to listen to anything you have to say, so please tell me if it's well enough for you." Almost as if she knew how I felt on the inside, she stepped back and flashed a warm smile. "Liola…" I began to speak, but I suddenly collapsed onto the floor. The only thing I could hear was her yelling for help from one of the guards to bring me to her room for treatment. Several hours had passed from then, and I woke up with a throbbing pain in the side of my head. Gently rubbing the pained spot and sitting up in what I presumed to be a bed, I stared blankly at the wall in front of me. I could see a gold rimmed mirror that stood from the floor and was only a few inches away from the ceiling; displaying me and the background of the room itself. Upon further inspection, there was a long sword in a black and maroon sheath in the corner just left of the mirror, and a small book on a dresser decorated with gems from many different pasts. To my astonishment, the room itself closely resembled my room back home in Osaka. Of course, there was the variety of bright colors that separated the possibility of it being my room; since I only had blues, blacks, reds, and golds in mine. In this room, there are pinks, yellows, oranges, and a variety of purples and greens. If anything, this room reminded me of when my mother was still alive…

 _9 Years Ago_

"Okaa-saaaan~!" "Where are you, Okaa-san?" Louis and I ran through the halls in search of our quiet, yet caring mother. It was on a cool Fall day that he used to remind me about and grin like an idiot. After a few hours of looking for her, Louis let out an annoyed sigh and huffed. "Geez! How can she be absent to her own birthday!? I mean, who even skips out on only the BEST day of the year!?" I chuckled to myself and patted his back until he whipped around and stared at me. "Brother, you can lose your head at any time, can't you? Okaa-san's probably-" " **Right here~!** " Slightly flinching at her sudden voice, we are both embraced and given a kiss on the forehead. " **How are my two lovely little knights~? And I'm sorry for not waking up early like you two, mommy was-** " Her voice seized up almost immediately and she looked up at the figure creating a dark and eerie shadow across the marble floor of the hall. Louis hugged mother and buried his face into the bosom of her white and gold flowing dress. I, on the other hand, followed her firm gaze to a man in a completely green uniform. "Hello, Elania. I see the two little-" " **What do you want, Altzer?** " She spat at him with a voice completely unknown to Louis and I. Remembering that we were in the same area as her, she bit her lip and continued in a softer and quieter voice. " **Last I recall, I already informed you that I do not wish for your acquaintance at the throne. If anything, you should be heading back to your own nation and leaving us alone.** " The man was Altzer: Prince of Alumina and a suitor trying to take control of Osaka. He had tried last week; following the week before that, and 8 weeks before that one. He had the most obnoxious personality and one of the most revolting smiles I had ever seen. His laugh was by far the worst part about him. Even if he laughs silently, you could still hear his unstable volume from the border of Osaka: 1,400 miles away from the capital... where we live. "Oh, I'm sure you'll cave in soon! My father is a very convincing man, and I'll have you bade me a son that you will surely love…" His gaze slowly drifts towards Louis as he continues. "And I'm surprised your father let you keep that child. He was made from a commoner, for god's sake!" By this point, mother was livid and holding Louis tightly as he stared blankly at the statement that was just given. " **Leave NOW, Altzer. I refuse to let you talk about the children I love. And for your information…** " She lightly placed Louis down and beckoned him to stand by me. She then walked up to Altzer; her eyes had turned from a pale and flowery pink into a hot pink with splashes of red. " **My children are not of common blood in my eyes, my father's eyes, or in the eyes of this kingdom's people. Everyone here loves them both as if they belong to them, and I'll be damned if a stuck up coward like you will ever become the new king. I refuse to have people like you around my precious little boys, and I refuse to give up this land to a man that can't even stay loyal to one woman!** " After her outburst, Louis's stare turned into awe and I looked at Altzer with more than just a hint of disgust in his actions towards our mother. "Y-yeah, mom's right! You're nothing but a meanie!" "Louis-" I began to urge my brother to stop, but he continued on like a machine gun would by the Constanian soldiers.. "There's nothing good about you or your dad! You're mom's nice and all, but it's you two that really put a dent in her reputation! Mommy wants nothing to do with you, and neither does Lu! All you do is nag and whine about what you don't have, and you never take into consideration the kind of lives your kingdom's people are living! They could be starving, fighting, struggling to have homes, money, and jobs! But do you and your dad care!? NO! All you two care about is owning land and taking everything away from those that actually need it!" When he was done venting, Altzer let out a hearty laugh before grabbing him by the collar. "You think you're tough, don't you!? Well, I'm the only one with a knife!" Saying this, he took out a curved knife and held it close to Louis's throat. Our mother let out a cry that alarmed the guards, but I; in a panic, took out a small slingshot that grandfather had given us and shot him in the eye. He let out the most inhuman scream I had heard then and even now. Flinching, I ready the slingshot once more and slightly sucked a breath in. "Leave my family alone…" Altzer groaned and glared at me. "What's that you said, you little-" "I SAID LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Once I shouted out, a bright spark lit up the area; revealing a beautiful white and blue tiger that seemed to appear out of thin air. It roared it's mighty roar, and Altzer backed away in fear. His eyes grew wide and he let out shallow scream and ran down the hall and out of our castle's front entrance. After the roars died down, the tiger looked back at me and purred as it rubbed its furry head on my slightly outstretched hand. "Human…" It began, it's light voice indicating no signs of aggression. "You have summoned me to make the enemy flea, correct?" All I could do was nod silently as my mom and Louis exchanged astonished looks. "I have never seen a human that could do this before. You are an interesting child, I must admit." The tiger began to glow more and more as it chuckled at my obviously modest silence. As it finally glew to the point of blinding, The light quickly vanished; along with the tiger. " **Wo** ah…" "U-um…" I looked back at my two family members; which were now beaming with curiosity. "I don't think I can explain this one-" "There's no need to explain this one! Bro, when did you learn how to do that!? It was all like swoosh! And splash! It was so cool!" Louis seemed to be having so much fun talking about the events, that our mom joined in alongside him in a chirping tone. " **That was interesting! How the wind became visible, and the pretty tiger scared off that- It was all amazing!** " They both went on and on that the sun began to set in the distance. Being unable to keep up with their rambling, I looked out of the window and into the vast rose garden. I couldn't draw my eyes away from the roses, even if I really wanted to. Their red petals reminded me of blood, but so did my hair. Their stems reminded me of the color that money bears, but so does my uniform. The way the colors blended reminded me of rare gems and riches waiting to be claimed; but, alas, my eyes reminded me of the same thing. Everything about the garden I loved reminded me about just how much my existence bothered me. Being lost in thought, returning to hear my two family members converse about what had happened, then going back to being lost in thought. That's all my life was as of right now….

 _Present_

I let out an audible sigh as I looked down at my hands. "That was so long ago…" I said to myself in the uncomfortable silence."It's all passed now. There's only what lies ahead…" I looked out of the window near where the bed was, and I saw something I couldn't believe: a garden of blue roses; lined together, side by side with the vast ocean. "Wow…" I muttered under my breath as I stood up and walked closer to the window. "This place… It's so…" "Familiar is the word you're looking for, right Sir?" A familiar voice cut through my absentmindedness like a knife. I turned to the door and called out. "Ah, Akuma. You can come in, you are aware of that?" I let out a small sigh as he opened the door and peered at me. "And didn't I ask you to use familiarity towards me? I don't want to feel like I'm above anyone." Akuma chuckled and walked into the room, softly shutting the door behind him. When the door clicked, he looked at me with a somewhat familiar smile. "I'm sorry, I couldn't exactly speak like this in front of the princess. The other guards would sooner have my head." I looked at him with a hint of confusion, but I kept my composure and gave him a wry smile. "I'm sorry, I understand. But I feel like we've met before. Maybe in-" "Vanallesa, yes. It's nice to know that you have your memory still, even after that fall we took back then. You're alright, correct?" Remembering the both of us falling from the largest tree in Vanallesa brought back good memories, and we both began to laugh whole-heartedly at the matter. "Ah, I knew you looked familiar when I saw you pull in here! Man, that girly scream you let out back then was priceless!"

"Hey!" I laughed and jokingly punched Akuma in the arm. "Who was the one that peed himself when we realized we were still alive!" As I mentioned this, his face turned a bright shade of red and he punched me back. "T-that wasn't pee, it was water!" "Aku, that was totally pee back there! The smell was there, and your white trousers failed to tell me anything different! Haha!" It felt nice to share a laugh with an old friend again. For so many years, I never even cracked a smile towards anyone but Louis in our home after mom died. I let out yet another sigh as Akuma looked at me in concern. "Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?" "No, it's just… I'm worried about my careless brother. I know Sir Nicholas can take care of himself, but Louis… He's just-" "A big marshmallow as always, huh? Look-" As he was about to tell me something, we were both alarmed by a sudden knocking at the door. Akuma and I exchanged glances and recollected our postures as he walked to the door and opened it. The moment the door opened, a young girl with platinum blond hair pulled into long twintails tightly hugs Akuma's waist. " **Oh, there you are Akuma~! Sis's been looking for y-** " She looked over at me with her golden eyes. " **Oh! And you must be a duke arrival! I'm Seiyo, it's nice to meet you~!** " She grinned brightly at me, but she still held onto Akuma for dear life. I nod slightly and tell her about how pleased I was about the scenery upon arriving here. " **Oh, I'm so happy to hear it! I made the design with my sister, and the townspeople made it a reality!** " By time her excitement was overflowing, Akuma began to lightly pat her head. As he did so, Seiyo began to calm down and loosen her grip on his waist. After a short while of doing so, she let go of his waist completely, bowed, and left the room without a word. A small sigh escaped Akuma's lips as he walked out of the door. He looked back at me and, giving a small smile, said something strange. "Be careful who you place your trust with in these parts. You can trust me without a doubt, yeah, but keep a close eye on the others. Who knows…" A slight darkness carrasses his facial features as he grows more serious. "Someone here could be a traitor to both of our kingdoms… Okasa and Vanallesa." Finally lifting the dense and suffocating air, he simply smiled and waved. "See you tomorrow, Luke." That warning struck me with surprise. I couldn't move, and I dared not to even let a single breath escape from my mouth. "A… traitor…?" I muttered out finally, despite no one being around to hear. "Just what does he mean…?" I quickly shut the door and glanced around the room. To my surprise, all of the items; including my sword, lay still beside the bed that I woke up in. I quickly changed into my regular clothes and swooped up my belongings; placing each item where it originally was, and proceeded to head out of the door. I reach out my hand and tightly grasp the doorknob, when I began to hear footsteps. "Those sound like ...heels…?" All I could hear was the _click click click_ of a woman's heels growing louder and louder, closer and closer to the door until… nothing. I began to think it was just my paranoia setting in, when the door swung open to reveal a rather tall, tanned woman with long black-to-pink hair. She stared at me blankly for several minutes until I spoke up and asked her what the matter may be. In doing so, I must have spooked her; She let out quite the panicked squeal as she back away quickly. "W-who are you!? You don't live here!" She began examining me and looked back up at my face in conclusion. "You're definitely not from here! No one in this kingdom has red hair like this! And that sword-!" Just as she reached for my sword, I quickly moved it's hilt away from her reach. "I will have to kindly ask you not to touch my belongings… and no, I am not from here. I come from a kingdom south of here, and-" "Oh, from the rich side of the nation~! It's a pleasure meeting you, Sir-" I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly; becoming more and more irritated with the woman. She seemed to be rather rowdy and obnoxious to talk to, none the less even be around. As I reopened my eyes, The woman was only a few inches away from my face. I quickly backed away, which; only being somewhat aware of the situation, made her laugh. "My! You're easy to get flustered! I'll talk to you later in the canopy at noon, alright~? And do not be late!" Without giving any room for resistance, she walked away with what now seemed to be two older men; one with his arm around her shoulders, and the other around her waist. I stood in confusion as to what had occurred, when I felt a cold chill down my spine. Now, I'm not one to believe in hauntings. Louis, on the other hand, thinks that any spirit can possess anything it wishes to. Of course, I always had to hold his hand in dark places; that, and I always had to wear a ridiculous amulet on my blouse to "keep evil spirits away." I looked down at the hand he used to hold and winced at the thought of never seeing him again. "Louis… You big idiot…" I let out an audible sigh and began to walk around the unfamiliar castle layout. Moments passed, then hours, until I realized that I had become unreasonably lost. I began to panic and pick up my pace; finally stumbling across an elegant canopy that held the obnoxious woman. Taking the time into consideration, I grimaced as I walked over to her. " If I do recall correctly, you asked of my company at noon?" To my surprise, she spun around with a somewhat shocked expression on her face. "Oh!" She yelped. "I didn't expect you to be here yet! It's only eleven-twelve!" I slightly nodded at her acknowledgement and continued. "I am aware. But a gentleman does not let a woman wait for them." I looked over at her as I sat down in another elegant piece of furniture. "In saying so, I must ask. Why did you want to speak to me? And at such odd times?" "Oh, about that! I wanted to let you in on a little secret about this place!" She leaned forward and began to whisper. "This castle is said to hold a very important treasure; one that could shape a new kingdom out of the entire world. Only a few people have actually seen it, but they never lived long enough to use it." I looked at the woman in a bit of confusion. "What happened to those that have?" "They died of unnatural causes. The priests here constantly say that they died because they were corrupt and tried to use something pure." She backed away and let out a high-pitched laugh; throwing her arms to her stomach as she did so. "It's all so funny how the people of this kingdom believe that! Haha!" I straighten myself and looked at her with a blank expression. Never in my life had I ever heard about something along these lines before; nor have I been allowed to follow these kinds of rumors like a blind pup. "I see. Well, would you happen to tell me where this so called treasure is? Or are you unaware?" Hearing this, she stopped laughing and looked at me in an almost serious expression. "I refuse to release that-" "Ah, so you have no clue as to it's whereabouts at all. Alright, I understa-" She shot a quick glare at me before glancing around and moving slightly forward. "Look, I'm saying this for everyone's protection." I gave her a slight smirk and let her continue. "If I wasn't, I would have told you exactly where to go. I'm thinking for everyone's safety, not for my own personal gain-" "I never said anything about you doing so for you own gain, did I madam?" Her look of irritation was almost funny as she looked at me with piercing eyes. It soon turned into mischief as she sat back on her seat. "So, you're an odd one I see! Just perfect! Yeah, I don't know where the treasure is; and yeah, I don't really care about their lives at all. All I want is the treasure so I can become the queen of this entire nation!" She let out a haughty laugh and went on. "I can't get in myself, however. YOU, on the other hand, can get in without a single problem! Either that, or you'll die like the rest of them!" "It is this kingdom's treasure, not my own. And even if it was, I wouldn't dare to give it to a wild woman such as yourself. Now…" I stood up and gave her the same words Akuma had told me as he did so: "Watch your back… Who knows, there might be a traitor in your kingdom." Stating just that, I left her in a complete panic as she rushed for her ride home. " **Wow~** " A somewhat familiar young voice rung out from behind a nearby marble pillar. " **I've been trying to get rid of her for DAYS~! Thanks for the help there, Lu~!** " Knowing that it was just Liola's little sister, I let out a sigh of relief and turned towards her. "It was a pleasure removing her, honestly-" " **You don't want to be spoken to formally, I expect the same thing~! Just call me Sei, okay~?** " Without fully noticing it, my face began to grow hot at the sudden realization that I went against my own word for a moment. I quickly begin to laugh it off and slightly rub the back of my neck. "S-sorry about that. I tend to do that more often than not these days. I'll try my best not to do that again." I walked closer to her and gently rubbed her head; giving a slight smile at the same time. "Alright, Sei?" Hearing this, Sei smiled brightly back and nodded. Several hours had passed since then; she invited me to several banquets and festivities with the new surroundings. Many of the people were greeting me as if I was a new addition to the kingdom; with happiness and warmth. It was a nice feeling… maybe staying was a good idea.

Chapter 2 END

Making nice endings to chapters is quite relaxing. Should I continue doing that? (I might, I might not. Knowing me, it'll be a 50/50 shot) Thank you for reading!


End file.
